how to connect two buildings to a network?

Question

this is the scenario that was presented to us:

A small public relations firm leases two groups of offices in Building A and Building G of a suburban office park. The business staff, including the human resources and accounting departments, has 12 people and is located in two offices in Building A. the creative staff, including copy writing, graphics and production departments, with a total of 22 employees, is housed in Building G. Building A and Building G are about 600 meters (about 1970 feet) apart.
The business staff is networked with a four year old coaxial bus that ties their PC-compatible computers together in a peer-to-peer workgroup. The creative staff in Building G has a conglomeration of computers including Apple Macintoshes and PC-compatibles; they are not networked.

The owners of the company would like to network all the computers for the creative staff and connect the creative staff network to the business staff network. They would also like to standardize the type of network used in both buildings to keep troubleshooting issues to a minimum.

NOTE: Wireless is required on both buildings for their portable devices to connect.

it doesn't say what floors the offices are located. i was thinking about using an antenna or satellite dish to connect the two buildings, but i'm unable to find a reliable source for distance range for the devices. and i also need to know if any adapters are needed. i need some advice. thanks in advance!

Answer 1

I have use wireless to do just this in many locations. Basically, what you need is a pair of access points that support "bridge" mode. When set up as a bridge, the access points are configured to only talk to each other, and just extend your copper network across the gap between the buildings. I like to use directional antennas, even though in your case the distance is not too great, because that improves both signal strength and security. Since the access points are only talking to each other, you don't need high levels of encryption. I have used several different brands and models, but have had great reliability from D-Link equipment, which has many models that support bridge connections at a reasonable price. There are power over Ethernet models that can be mounted outside, but at the short distance you are bridging I would just use indoor models and put the antennas in windows facing each other, or drill a hole through the wall and mount the antennas outside but keep the access point itself indoors.

Answer 2

Friend you can get internet in both buildings you can setup a domain or a VPN and access the same network that way, as well if it is a company that you are expanding,

this will put in the ground work for future expansions to out of county/state/country offices.

EG: ca.mydomain.com -> fl.mydomain.com -> ja.mydomain.com -> uk.mydomain.com

You can also use a cheap PC as an internal and external DNS server/filter to route traffic, and allow your server to act as a data center.



FSO is another option since you have direct line of site, but may be too pricey.

If you are stuck on using WiFi I suggest using the 5ghz band as opposed to 2.4ghz since it will provide less interference.

Answer 3

To link the two buildings together, I would use something like "Ubiquiti loco M2" or "loco M5". I have had success with connecting networks at greater distances than 600 meters using Ubiquiti products.